DOT Delaying Deepwater Port Licenses, Hindering Exports, Senator Says
Deepwater port projects off the coast of Texas are being “unnecessarily” delayed by the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration, hindering applications that could help the U.S. export more oil and natural gas, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a Feb. 13 letter to the agency. Cruz said the Maritime Administration “is going more than three years on average before issuing a deepwater port licensing decision -- almost three times as long as is statutorily permitted.” Although the projects are “complex,” applicants have “complained of prolonged delays associated with the Maritime Administration’s slow processing time and general lack of communication during the process,” the senator said.
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Cruz asked the Maritime administration to provide a “planned timeline” by Feb. 27 for issuing all pending deepwater port licenses. “Once operational, these deepwater ports will increase our energy export capabilities, helping to establish greater energy security for our allies who are suffering from Russia’s weaponization of its energy reserve,” Cruz said. “It is critical that the Maritime Administration administer the Deepwater Port Act licensing program in a manner that both transparently applies applicable laws and regulations as well as meets the statutory deadlines established by Congress.”